Never Forgive
by Aries Draco
Summary: If I wrote what I want to write here, the entire story will be spoiled. Mayura meets a cute gaikokujin whose michievousness is reminiscent of someone very familiar... chapter 4: a bit short
1. Thief

Never Forgive  
  
#1: Thief!  
  
By: Aries Draco  
  
A/N: Well, well, well. I must admit that I haven't seen all the Maloki eps nor got my hands on any of the manga but I think I have enough idea to write a fic or few. ^_^ This is my first ficcie of this fandom. Forgive OOC- ness if any.  
  
Dis/claimer: Anything relating to MaLoki does not belong to me. The plot does and so does the character 'Barouku'.  
  
-@-  
  
"If you want someone to hate, hate the mother who brought you into this world and abandoned you to me!"  
  
.never forgive.  
  
"Your mother's blood runs deep in your veins. I can see the fire in your eyes, the tendency to rebellion. But remember that I do not forgive easily. Don't give me that look! Direct all your hate at your precious mother!"  
  
I will *never* forgive her.  
  
"Now this is your chance to take revenge and earn my favour. You do know how I treat those I favour? This is your chance."  
  
...revenge? Yes. Revenge.  
  
-@-  
  
Mayura peered at the cakes on display in the shop, trying very hard not to drool. A quick check of her wallet reminded her that those nice cakes were out of bounds. Maybe Yamino-san had baked something nice. With that thought in mind, she headed for Loki's house.  
  
And bumped into someone who was just exiting the aforementioned cake shop.  
  
"Gomen nasai!" cried Mayura, back on her feet in a flash. She was used to falling over, being the klutz she was. The other person, however, did not seem that fortunate.  
  
He (it was a boy) was sitting quietly on the pavement with a rather scary look in his eyes. For a moment, Mayura was disturbed but then the boy smiled at her cheerfully and she forgot.  
  
"I'm okay, ojou-san," he said quietly, voice oddly accented. Then again, it did seem that he was a gaikokujin. His eyes were a startling shade of green and his flame-red hair curled lightly about his face. "It's only that my cake."  
  
That was when Mayura noticed the smashed up box on the floor. "Eh? I'm so, so sorry!" she cried. And in a quieter, worried tone, "But. I can't afford to buy another one for him." Aha! That's right! She could bring this guy over to Loki-kun's house where Yamino-san would have cooked up something nice to eat! While she was thinking through all this, the guy had already gotten up and was dusting himself off, looking a little miffed at his cake that was currently smeared across the concrete.  
  
When she looked at him again, he was smiling a polite smile. "No, it's ok. I can always get a new cake. Would you like one too?" he asked.  
  
Yes, please! That meant that Loki-kun would not be giving her that annoyed look that he always sent her when she freeloaded at his house. But it was not good to accept things from strangers, right? Even cute strangers. However, if the said stranger was dragging you into the store, would it not be impolite to refuse?  
  
"I'll have this one, please!" cried Mayura, pointing out a particular strawberry cake after much thought. Everything looked so good!  
  
"That will be 2500 yen, please," said the girl at the counter cheerfully.  
  
The boy pulled out a leather wallet, then looked rather upset. "Ano. I only have 1000 yen left," he said mournfully. He leaned across the counter and looked up pleadingly at the cashier. "Ojou-san, could you give me a discount?"  
  
Mayura was about to interrupt and say that it was ok if she didn't get cake but the boy shot her a look. Okay. What was he up to?  
  
"Well, I can give you a slight discount but less than half price if definitely unacceptable," replied the girl primly, though her face was slightly red from the extremely cute gaikokujin leaning over the counter. It got redder when the boy flashed a devilish yet sad smile.  
  
"I understand," he said softly, staring into her eyes with his deep green ones. "Even a beautiful girl like yourself must bend to the rules set down by irrational tyrants, no matter how ridiculous it is to charge 2500 yen for two pieces of cake."  
  
Mayura pouted. She did not want to stand around watching people flirt. She had a good mind to just pull out the required money for her cake and run off. If he didn't have the money in the first place, why offer to treat her?  
  
The girl ducked her head in embarrassment. "Well, I must admit that 2500 yen is a bit much."  
  
"1000, then, it's settled!" said the boy quickly, brushing a kiss on the cashier's lips and dropping the money on the counter. He grabbed Mayura and they both ran out of the shop before the cashier had time to recover.  
  
They ran four straight blocks before Mayura had to take a rest. "Mou, don't you think that was a little mean... uh."  
  
"Barouku desu," provided the boy. "And you are?"  
  
"Daidouji Mayura." She breathed in deeply, slightly miffed that Barouku did not even seem winded. "And that wasn't being very nice to the lady at the counter."  
  
The boy smirked. "Well, anything to survive, ne?" he asked. "Ja ne, Mayura- san." And he ran off. It took a minute for Mayura to notice that he had not left her her cake.  
  
"Hidoi!" she shouted after him but he was long gone. Without her lovely cake, she resigned herself to going over to Loki's and sponging as much off him as possible.  
  
-@-  
  
"Mayura-san's cake was stolen?" exclaimed Yamino, proving very sympathetic to her plight.  
  
"Hai! And he was such a cute gaikokujin too!" pouted Mayura. She had conveniently left out the fact that she had not paid for that cake and technically, he was entitled to take it.  
  
"Gaikokujin?" echoed Loki.  
  
"Hai~! He had red hair and green eyes. kind of like yours, Loki-kun!" She did not notice the sudden tense silence that filled the room.  
  
"A tourist?" mused Loki aloud.  
  
"Iie. His Japanese was very good though he sounded a bit strange," replied Mayura. Then, something struck her. "Eh? What if he's some fugitive from Europe who escaped to Japan to continue his thieving ways? Fushigi Mystery~! Ne, Loki-kun, won't you help me find him?" Sparkle, sparkle.  
  
"Request denied," said Loki flatly. Mayura could get so annoying sometimes. Ok, most of the time. No, make that almost all the time.  
  
Mayura fumed. "Fine, I'll go find him by myself, then!" she cried, running right out of the room and stalking out of the estate.  
  
"Loki-sama, is it really ok to let her go like that?" asked Yamino, a little worried. "What if this Barouku person is another assassin?"  
  
Loki laughed quietly. "Which lame-ass god would have to resort to stealing? Even if he is, I don't think someone like that would pose much of a threat."  
  
"And what if he's really a thief? Wouldn't Mayura-san be in trouble?" pressed Yamino.  
  
"If you're so concerned about that girl, why don't you follow her?" snapped Fenrir, tired of his younger sibling's whining. Then, he smiled innocently. "Right, Daddy?"  
  
Loki nodded. Yamino hesitated for a moment, then went after the pink-haired girl.  
  
-@-  
  
A/N: Okie, first chapter done. Are you curious? 


	2. Haircut

Never Forgive  
  
#2: Haircut  
  
By: Aries Draco  
  
A/N: Here goes. and the Norse myth/s used in this series may not be 100% accurate but you'll get the gist of it because it comes mostly from memory and because when talking to Mayura, it is good not to introduce too many foreign concepts.  
  
For info on the gods and humour, go here: . It's damn funny, especially the Heimdall entry.  
  
Oh, yeah. This has not been beta'd. It goes up the moment I'm done with it.  
  
-@-  
  
Mayura was pleased that Yamino had decided to come along with her. So pleased that she decided to buy him some ice cream.  
  
"Iie, you really don't have to." protested Yamino but Mayura interrupted him.  
  
"Of course I do!" she chirped, reaching for her purse. She snapped it open, then stared in shock. It was completely empty. "Eh?"  
  
"What's wrong, Mayura-san?" asked Yamino, seeing the look on the girl's face.  
  
"My money's all gone!" Surprisingly, she sounded rather cheerful about this. "Fushigi mystery! How does money disappear from a purse like that?" Ah, sou da. That again.  
  
"Mayura-san, are you sure you haven't spent the money?"  
  
"Of course! I still had everything in my purse when I was at the cake shop before I met Barouku-san. AH! What if he stole it?!" Mayura sighed deeply, sinking to the ground in despair. "I'm so sorry, Yamino-san. Because of this, I cannot expect you to accompany me in my search for the mysterious Barouku-kun."  
  
"It's okay, really."  
  
"Iie. Just go back to Loki-kun, okay?" She looked so dejected that Yamino could not possibly refuse. So he left. Just in time to miss a certain red- haired bishounen thief appear with two ice-cream cones.  
  
"Yo, Ma~yu~ra," called Barouku cheerfully.  
  
The pink-haired girl jumped, then stood up, gesturing wildly. "You! You're the fugitive thief from Europe! And you stole my."  
  
He held up the purse in the palm of one hand, offering it to Mayura. "You dropped this, I think," he said calmly, a smirk playing over his handsome features. Then he brought up his other hand, where he was trying to hold two ice-cream cones. "And you can have one of these while you're at it."  
  
Mayura was a little disappointed. So he didn't nick her purse after all. But at least she found him, right? And she was getting free ice cream. "A. arigatou, Barouku-san," she said, suddenly vividly reminded of how beautiful he looked. She blushed and ducked her head.  
  
"I'm glad I found you," said Barouku cheerfully. "I didn't know where to look. It's a good thing we met, isn't it?"  
  
"Hai!" agreed Mayura. "It's a good thing you were in the area. I just came out from Loki-kun's house."  
  
A decidedly surprised look crossed the boy's face for a second before being replaced by nonchalance. "Loki? That's an odd name," he remarked.  
  
Mayura nodded in agreement. "He's an odd boy," she told Barouku. "He's only about eight to ten and he's a detective. Isn't that cool?!"  
  
Barouku coughed, hiding a derisive snigger. This girl had to be braindead or something. Detectives, really! And trusting a person she just met to the extent of giving out information about her other friends? Honestly! But it could be fun.  
  
"Come on," called Barouku, starting to walk. "I have an interesting story to tell you."  
  
"Eh? Mystery?"  
  
He grinned. "Well, it can be considered that."  
  
And like the mystery-loving fool she was, Mayura followed Barouku as he led her into a deserted alley.  
  
They settled themselves on crates, Mayura happily licking at her ice-cream. Barouku stared at her for a moment, a triumphant look on his face, then began his story.  
  
"Mukashi, mukashi."  
  
"Wait."  
  
"What is it, Mayura-san?"  
  
"What is this story about?" asked Mayura.  
  
Barouku sighed softly to himself. "It's a story from my homeland about a trickster god named Loki," he explained.  
  
"Loki?" echoed Mayura. "Loki-kun is named after a god?"  
  
The boy smiled, not very nicely. "I wouldn't know. No one in their right mind would name their child after the god called 'Loki'," he commented. "After all, Loki is not a very pleasant person."  
  
Somewhere in his mansion, Loki sneezed loudly. Twice.  
  
"So, do you want to hear the story or not?" demanded Barouku.  
  
"Hai, hai!"  
  
Barouku took a deep breath and began. "This happened when the world was much younger. The Aesir."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The Aesir, one of the two groups of gods in Norse mythology."  
  
"What's the other?"  
  
"They're called. nevermind! All you have to know is that the Aesir were considered the important gods, ok? Can I continue now?"  
  
Mayura eep'd softly. Barouku seemed to be getting rather annoyed. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep quiet from now on.  
  
"Where was I? Oh, yes.."  
  
-@-  
  
The Aesir were planning to build a wall around their home to defend it. At that time, a giant in disguise came up to them and offered to do the job if they would give him the sun, the moon and the goddess Freyja as a bride. Don't you dare ask who Freyja is! Suffice to say, she's a hottie.  
  
Anyway, long story short, Loki persuaded the gods to accept this proposal but to set an impossible time limit so that the job would be mostly completed and the giant would have to leave empty handed. It seemed like a good idea at that time. But the giant had help from his horse, Svadilfari and soon the gods could see that the job would be completed on schedule.  
  
Naturally, they all went after the idiot who suggested the idea in the first place. Under threat of dismemberment and the like, Loki was forced to go settle the problem.  
  
It was obvious that the poor horse was doing all the work while being deprived of the finer things in life like fresh carrots and mares so Loki came up with a plan. He transformed himself into a mare and seduced Svadilfari. When faced with the choice of more work or a passionate encounter with a mare in heat, it was quite obvious which the stallion chose. Loki, of course, in case you don't find it as obvious as most people do.  
  
Without his horse's help, the giant did not manage to get the job done and had his head smashed in by Thor's hammer when he tried to take Freyja by force. There, problem solved. Meanwhile, Svadilfari was having the time of his life screwing the hell out of that pretty mare. Yes, it's Loki, remember? Heheh.  
  
And with intercourse came pregnancy, as Loki soon found out. He was in no hurry to get back, in case the giant *did* manage to finish the job in time despite losing his horse, so he decided to sample the joys of motherhood. A few months later, with much cursing and screaming, he brought into the world a freak of nature: an eight-legged horse. On the bright side, it was the fastest horse in existence so Loki presented it to the head-honcho of the Aesir, Odin, and got his favour back.  
  
-@-  
  
"Mou, that was such a weird story. And it wasn't even a mystery!" complained Mayura.  
  
Barouku grinned at her. "I see you've finished your ice-cream, Mayura-san," he pointed out, grin widening.  
  
"Huh?" was the last word to leave Mayura's lips as the drugs in the ice- cream kicked in and she fell into a dead faint.  
  
"Idiot," laughed Barouku softly to himself. He eased her into a more comfortable position, lying down on the ally floor, then pulled something from his pocket.  
  
-@-  
  
Narugami was heading toward Loki's house to see if he could get a free dinner when he heard some noises coming from an alleyway. He paused to look and saw some guy kneeling over a very familiar looking pink-haired girl. What the.?! "Hey, you!" he shouted, sprinting into the alley, Mjolnir brandished before him.  
  
The person looked up in surprise, then took off in the opposite direction, flinging something into Narugami's face. By the time Narugami had brushed it off, the person was long gone. For a moment, he thought about chasing the guy but then Mayura gave a moan and he decided that he had an obligation to take care of her.  
  
He went over to her, shaking her awake (gently, of course), while trying to get those pink threads (which the mysterious guy had thrown at him) off of himself.  
  
Mayura sat up and heard a startled gasp. She blinked when she saw Narugami- kun staring at her with his mouth hanging open in horror.  
  
"Hair."  
  
Instinctively, Mayura brought a hand up to her hair. and screamed.  
  
It had all been lopped off.  
  
-@-  
  
A/N: A semi-cliff-hanger ending, huh? Oh well, I guess you'll just have to wait for the next one. Hoping to see you soon, dear readers (reviewers?). 


	3. In School

Never Forgive  
#3: In School?!  
By: Aries Draco

A/N: Well, well, one chapter a day, it seems... hope I can keep this up...

Dis/claimer: 'embryo' belongs to Dir en Grey, the translation was taken from www.crysania.com. 

-@-

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Mayura. She was still sobbing half an hour, five cups of tea and two pieces of cake later.

Loki had been feeling a little sorry for her until her whining got on his nerves. That took about four seconds. "Who did this to you?" he demanded finally, trying to get her to shut up.

She turned her tear-filled eyes to Loki. "It… it was… Barouku-kun…" she hiccupped. Then, she dissolved into tears again. "My beautiful hair~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"There, there," said Narugami, trying to be comforting. He was never very good at this kind of things. The last time something like this happened, at least he could go out and threaten the bastard to cut off Sif's hair with dismemberment or death or worse. A wry grin crossed his face at the thought and he glanced at Loki.

Apparently, the trickster god had not forgotten about that incident as he had a decidedly displeased look on his face. Especially since he could guess what Thor was thinking about at that moment that would cause him to smile like that. 

"Mayura, it's only hair," he sighed.

"What do you mean 'only hair'?! Do you know how long it took for me to grow it out?" sobbed Mayura, distraught.

"At least he didn't rape you or anything," Loki wanted to scream. Instead, he took a deep breath, then looked kindly at the shocked girl. "Hair will grow back. Just be thankful that it is all he took from you."

Mayura bit her lip, then nodded, stifling her sobs. That was very true. At least this was a lesson to her. Never trust a bishounen thief! 

"Ah, sou! I remember something that might help, Mayura-san," said Yamino suddenly. He pulled out a wig that had been styled to look exactly like Mayura's hair.

"Eh? Why do you have that lying around?" asked Mayura, looking at him a little oddly, though grateful for the present. 

"Disguises are always useful, Mayura," said Loki easily when he saw the look on Yamino's face. Which happened to be a 'I can't really explain but please don't think I'm some kind of pervert' look.

"Sou da! You're a detective, ne?"

-@-

"Ara, the new exchange student seems to be late…" murmured the teacher in her characteristically vague way. Suddenly, the PA system crackled to life.

"Attention all teachers and students, this is Jasshin Barouku, the new exchange student, speaking. I would like to wish everyone a very good morning. Hajimemashite, minna! Now, for you listening pleasure will be the song 'embryo' by Dir en Grey~! Also, for your viewing pleasure, the female teachers' bras are being raised on the flagpole! Please have a look out of your classroom windows! Thank you for your kind attention!"

There were screams of outrage and curiosity that resulted in most of the school trying to catch a glimpse of the underwear. Meanwhile, Barouku was singing.

"shimetsuketa mama no kubisuji   
"tenjou kara burasagaru nara   
"baibai Mother  
"mugon no namida kurushimi fukaku   
"taekirezu ni hana wa chiru yuku   
"watashi wa hitori

_"mother's neck is choked   
"as she hangs down from the heavens   
"bye bye, mother  
"with silent tears and deep pain   
"the flower, unable to bear it, is dying   
"I am alone"_

"Without a Face   
"aegu koe  
"Without a Face   
"hizumu koe

__

"Without a Face   
"a gasping voice  
"Without a Face   
"a distorted voice"

"saa watashi wo okashite ki ga sumu made papa no mono yo  
"hora ue kara mama ga watashi tachi wo mioroshiteru

_"so rape me until you're satisfied that I am yours, father  
"but see, mother is looking down on us from up above"_

"My Sweet Mother   
"hohoende   
"kokoro ga ne harisakete waratteru  
"Deadly Sweet Mother   
"nikushimi to   
"hakike saki gaman shite machimashou   
"dakare nagara"

_"My Sweet Mother   
"smiling   
"you smile so hard it seems your heart will burst open  
"Deadly Sweet Mother   
"in hatred   
"I'll wait patiently, holding back my nausea   
"while I'm raped"_

Then there was a squealing sound, the microphone's protest at being yanked away violently from its previous holder. "JASSHIN BAROUKU, GO TO MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!" That would be the headmaster. In the background, one could make out Barouku's voice.

"Yare, yare, it's just a song... and it was just underwear... at least it wasn't arson..."

Needless to say, it turned Jasshin Barouku into an instant celebrity. Opinions were firmly divided; they either loved him or hated him with no middle ground. And when Jasshin-kun finally appeared in person to the rest of the school, many of his non-supporters immediately switched sides, most of them being females though there was the odd fanboy.

Mayura did not know whether to be pleased or upset that Barouku was joining her class. He had found her during lunch and… well…

"Ah! It's you!" yelled Mayura on seeing him approaching her. "Naruga…mhph!"

"Mayura-san, I'm sorry that you have such inaccurate impressions of me but please allow me to explain," he whispered softly into her ear while keeping one hand over her mouth. "You don't know what happened yesterday afternoon. I'm going to let go now if you promise me that you won't scream."

Mayura hesitated, then nodded. Maybe Barouku-san wasn't that bad after all, right? It could all be a big misunderstanding. Barouku let her go and motioned for her to go sit with him. A group of girls nearby promptly burst into tears at seeing him walking away with Mayura in tow.

"So what you're trying to say is that I fainted after eating the ice cream? But why did you cut off my hair?!" wailed Mayura. Barouku put one finger on her lips and smiled at her. Really smiled at her.

"Because Mayura-san looks really good with short hair," he told her seriously.

She blushed bright red at that comment and was still blushing when Narugami-kun chanced upon the two of them.

"It's you! The pervert who cut off Daidouji's hair!" he brandished his wooden sword at Barouku who did not look the least flustered.

"Yo, Narukami-san," he said cheerfully. "I was just explaining to Mayura-san here why I did that yesterday. She seems happy with my explanation."

"I don't care about your explanations," snapped Narugami. "It is just fundamentally wrong to cut a woman's hair without her permission so unless you can make it all grow back immediately, prepare to face your punishment."

"Matte, Narugami-kun..." protested Mayura but the protest fell on deaf ears.

Barouku feigned a look of fear. "Oh dear, Narukami-san, are you really going to punish me?" he asked, making the entire sentence sound really, really wrong. "Shall I fetch a wig that will grow like normal hair once it is placed on Mayura-san's head? But... she's not your wife, is she, Narukami-kun?"

"What?!" exclaimed both Narugami and Mayura but Barouku continued like he hadn't heard.

"So why are you helping her out...?"

This left both Mayura and Narugami speechless enough for him to walk away calmly and wink at his fangirls, smiling in amusement as they fell over the moment he passed them by. He was going to have so much fun, especially since the headmaster saw things his way and refrained from expelling him for the stunt he pulled that morning. Life was gooooood.

-@-

A/N: I'm having so much fun... Are you, dearest reader?


	4. Shotacon

Never Forgive

#4: Shota-con?

By: Aries Draco

A/N: Haha. Someone guessed who Barouku is. So fast, ne? Haha. It only gets weirder. Enjoy.

-@-

"Eh? Hontou?!" cried Mayura, eyes wide. "Barouku-kun wants to join the Mystery Research Club?"

The boy grinned. "And why not?" he asked, then struck a pose. "Fushigi Mystery~!"

The other students in the hallway immediately stepped away, sweatdropping, while Barouku's fangirls fumed. "Daidouji is not good enough for Barouku-sama," they muttered darkly, holding up signs depicting various death-scenes for Mayura.

Mayura, meanwhile, had decided to forget the wig. Her hair was styled in a bob, barely covering her ears. If she tied up bits of it and you squinted, you could almost imagine that Ecchan had replaced her head. Punyan~!

"That's great! Then I won't be the only person in the club anymore!" gushed Mayura. Then, she clapped her hands. "I know! I'll bring you to see Loki-kun. Mysteries seem attracted to him! Maybe then you'll get a chance to see a fushigi mystery~!"

"Sounds good to me," agreed Barouku. His grin would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame. "We'll meet up after school, then? At the gate?"

"Hai~!"

-@-

"What are you doing with such a huge bouquet of flowers?" asked Mayura, poking at them.

Barouku smirked. "Well, I was considering giving them to you," he told her. "But I think I'll hold onto them for a little longer."

In the background, Barouku fangirls were burning little Mayura effigies. Mayura sweatdropped, nodding in agreement. If Barouku-kun gave her flowers in front of those girls, who knew what would happen. So they began walking toward Loki's mansion.

Upon reaching the house, Mayura let herself in but Barouku paused at the door. "Ne, Mayura-san, is it really okay to do that?" he asked.

"Sure!" replied Mayura. "I do this all the time. Come on in!"

At that, Barouku smiled. "Thank you for inviting me in," he said, stepping in. That was one way of getting past the wards…

Mayura was already bouncing up the stairs in excitement. She just **had** to show Loki-kun the newest member of her Mystery Research Club. "Loki-kun~!" she called, just to make her presence known.

Loki sighed softly when the girl stepped through the door. Well, at least she was amusing. Then he did a double-take. Why was she surrounded by flowers? Oh, wait, that was just another person.

"Barouku-kun, meet Loki-kun. Loki-kun, meet…" Mayura trailed off when Barouku brushed past her and laid the entire bouquet of flowers on the table.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" asked Barouku flirtingly. "Because you must be an angel."

Loki, Mayura and Ecchan sweatdropped simultaneously.

"Ano, Barouku-kun, Loki-kun's only eight…" said Mayura.

"Hai~!" cooed Barouku. "Kawaii~!"

Cue: Major Sweatdrops.

"Are you free tonight, Lo~ki~kun?"

Cue: Facefault.

After picking himself off the floor, Loki glared at the newcomer. Barouku, was it? "No, I am not," he answered as flatly as he could muster. He proceeded to give Barouku a once over.

There was no real malice in this Barouku person except for the concentration of evil in that earring he was wearing. Lokie stared at it for awhile before Barouku brought his hand up to cover it. Their eyes met and something flashed in Barouku's. Then it was gone and he was excusing himself from the house.

So he _was_ an assassin. This could get interesting…

-@-

That was… close, to say the least. Barouku frowned. Absently, he played with the red stud in his ear. Loki now knew about him. Perhaps he should not have been so careless. He had grown so confident that he almost forgot that he was dealing with the trickster god himself. Deceit would be almost impossible.

Where would he sleep tonight? Not that breaking into the school was no easy bit it would be nice to have a bit of a bed. Even a bed of straw would do. At the very least, it would have been familiar. Then, he caught sight of himself in a reflective surface. Red eyes?

_"I will take this back now, I think,"_ he heard himself say, without consciously forming the words. Then, there was blackness.

"Yo, 'Barouku'-kun," called a voice coldly.

The boy looked up, a very faint smile on his face. Narugami frowned. Something was different.

"Good afternoon, Thor," said the boy quietly. He found himself on the business end of Mjolnir immediately.

"You are here with orders from Odin to kill Loki, I presume," stated Narugami. The boy began to laugh. What the…?

"No. I am not here with orders," giggled the boy. "I am here with _permission_ from my Master." 

_Master?_ "Who the hell are you, anyway, 'Barouku'?" demanded Narugami.

The boy's eyes widened in pleasure. "Barouku? Barouku is not here anymore," he laughed. He bowed deeply. "Good day, Thor. See you in school tomorrow."

Narugami blinked but by that time, the boy was gone.

-@-

A/n: This is more of a little bridge than a proper chapter, ne? Pretty short… But no worries, more weird stuff coming up.


End file.
